2016 Nissan Maxima First Drive Review - Motor Trend
The Maxima arrives 1. 3 inches lower and 2. 2 inches longer than the outgoing model. Nissan engineers looked to the GT-R to find ways to improve the Maxima's powerplant and ended up heavily revising the 3. 5-liter V-6. They replaced roughly 60 percent of the engine parts, toughening it up and allowing it to create 300 horsepower... The engine is mated to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission that is one of the best CVTs I've tested, though depending upon your take on CVTs, that may not always be good news. There were some moments while driving the Maxima around Nashville, Tennessee, when I would hear that familiar whine as the car tried to find the most efficient position, but those moments were few and far between. The transmission was much more responsive when I switched the drive mode selector to Sport, where the transmission felt like a quick-shifting six-speed. The steering is nicely weighted, and the car likes to cut through twisty corners with a sharpness not found in other midsize cars. Perhaps there's a touch of oversteer when going too fast, but on the highway and most country roads, the Maxima remains surgically precise. Additionally, all of the controls are easy to reach, and Nissan added a display commander switch that allows the driver to toggle through different screens quickly. On the optional 8-inch high-definition display, Nissan has added a swipe feature that will allow a driver to use the display screen like a smartphone. Source: www.motortrend.com
